What do masks mask? A study on transdermal CO₂ monitoring.

ABSTRACT: Medical professionals have complained of extreme discomfort and fatigue from continuous wearing of N95 respirators (N95) overlaid with surgical masks (SM) and face shields (FS) during COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are no reports on the effect of face coverings on transdermal CO₂ (TrCO₂) levels (a measure of blood CO₂) during moderate activity. In this study, real-time monitoring of TrCO₂, heart rate and skin surface temperature was conducted for six subjects aged 20-59 years with and without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). We initially studied the effect of wearing PPE (N95+SM+FS) at rest. Then, the effect of moderate stepping/walking activity (120 steps per minute for 60 min) while wearing PPE was evaluated. In addition, we inve

SUBMITTER: Iitani K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8550888 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature